


Fingerpainted Bruises

by Tonii42



Series: Healing Bruises [1]
Category: Minecraft: Story Mode - Fandom
Genre: Adoption, After season one, Aftermath of Child Abuse, Before Season Two, Fatherly!Jesse, Heavily Suggested Child Abuse, Jesse and Radar, Male!Jesse - Freeform, Radar is Precious, slight au?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-24 20:52:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18169733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tonii42/pseuds/Tonii42
Summary: The bruises were fresh, already splotted with sickly yellows and gruesome purples, still red in some places and shaped unmistakably like fingers; as though someone had decided to fingerpaint all over his intern's neck. Jesse had suspected bullies. Now he kinda wished it had been.WARNING: DARK THEMES, VIOLENCE TOWARDS A MINOR.





	Fingerpainted Bruises

_**Fingerpainted Bruises** _

When Jesse first saw the bruises, it had been on a hot summers day. Radar had been his official intern for only two months, but he swore he was in love with the kid; his schedule had abruptly went from a messy scribble of loose notes to the most organised, pristine thing he'd ever seen. It was as though his entire life had been made impossibly simpler, something he hadn't thought he'd ever achieve again after defeating the Witherstorm (although things would  _never_ be that simple again, but this was closest he's been in a while).

The sun pulsed down on them, the air thick and humid. The streets were crowded with sweaty bodies, stall owners setting up umbrellas and hoods in an attempt to get some shade. The sky was blue and cloudless, windows and doors thrown open to encourage a breeze that wasn't there. It must have been the hottest day of the summer.

Sweat caused Jesse's black tank top to stick to his skin uncomfortably, his shorts clinging to his thighs and other areas they should not cling to. He was barefoot, sandals forgotten somewhere near the sidewalk, and he could feel dirt between his toes.

He could remember sitting in the shade of their treehouse, with Olivia to his left and Axel to his right, Reuben's chest steadily rising up and down as he rested his pink little head on Jesse's thigh. It had been a day similar to this, leaving them speculating if the air itself was trying to kill them in the most painful of ways, and they'd been eating ice cream and just enjoying each others presence, with nothing to do and nowhere to go, waiting for the heat to pass.

A sudden pang in his chest made him pause, blinking rapidly to cease the liquid that had sprung to his eyes. Jesse glanced around to make sure no one had noticed; the man beside him was still rambling on about something or another, gesturing here and there at the plots of dirt. They were supposed to be planning a new public build, but it was, in Jesse's personal opinion, far too hot to think. Let alone plan.

Out the corner of his eye, he spotted the familiar flash of a green hoodie. Relieved at the prospect of a distraction (or a drink, at the very least), Jesse turned, smiling, to catch his intern's eye- and his smile fell not a moment later.

Radar was wearing a hoodie.

"Uh, sorry," Jesse said, cutting the man (what was his name again? John? Carl? It's-Too-Hot?), "But if you would just, uh, excuse me for a moment."

He spotted the man opening his mouth, probably to protest, but Jesse had already slipped away. Radar didn't notice him immediately, too invested in his notebook, and up close the kid was so red-faced he looked like an angry tomato that had just had  _way_ too much hot sauce while standing next to an erupting volcano on a boiling afternoon.

"Uh, hey, Radar," Jesse said. Radar jumped, fumbled with his notebook, nearly dropped it, and clutched it to his chest, spinning around to face him, stammering. Jesse's lips twitched.

"J-Jesse!" his overheating intern gasped, "I, uh, I didn't see you. Did you need something?"

"You do realise," said Jesse, deciding to ignore the question, "That it's boiling hot, right?"

Radar blinked, brow furrowing in confusion, "Um... yes?"

Jesse shook his head, bewildered that the kid hadn't realised why he was asking. He tugged lightly at one of the hoodie's white strings, pulling it out a little more. "Then why are you wearing  _this?_ "

"Oh," Radar blinked again, this time in surprise rather than confusion. His eyes darted nervously to the side. "Uh..."

"Are you  _trying_  to give yourself a heatstroke?" Jesse asked, releasing the string once it became clear his intern wasn't sure how to answer, "'Cause, if you are, you're going the right way about it."

"Yes, well," Radar wouldn't meet his eyes, instead taking to darting them around like an animal looking for an escape, landing on one thing for but a moment before straying off to something else, "It's, uh... It's a nice hoodie."

"Radar," said Jesse, gently, but firmly, "Take your hoodie off. Tie it around your waist or sit it down somewhere. There'll be other, less death-by-sunlight days you can wear it on."

His intern smiled a little at the joke, but it fell far quicker than Jesse liked. With a resigned sigh, Radar tucked his notebook away and began to pull off his hoodie with what could only be a deliberate slowness.

Jesse didn't snap at him to hurry, although he kind of wanted to (because, come on,  _he_  was melting in shorts and a tank top). Radar seemed to kind of shift away from him a little, tucking his arms behind his back and keeping his hoodie in hand instead of tying it around his waist like Jesse had suggested. The Hero in Residence cocked his head to the side.

"You okay there, Radar?" he asked, actually starting to worry a little, "You seem more nervous than usual."

"I'm fine!" Radar exclaimed, a bit too fast, "I- I just, uh-" he coughed into his shoulder, face red, eyes darting to and fro. He looked panicked, as though he were trapped in a box that was slowly getting smaller and smaller.

Jesse frowned, stepping closer and holding up his hands in what he hoped was a calming gesture, "Wow, wow, it's alright, buddy. Just breathe, okay?"

Radar nodding, doing as he was told and breathing deeply. When Jesse decided he wasn't about to explode, he placed one of his still raised hands onto his intern's shoulder. The kid tensed, almost seemed to flinch, but forced himself to relax.

"S-Sorry, Jesse," Radar stuttered, "I, uh, I shouldn't be distracting you-"

"Nonsense," Jesse cut him off, because, really, that man had been getting on his nerves a bit anyway, "I gotta look after my intern, don't I? So," he ducked a little to catch Radar's eye, "What's going on, buddy?"

"It's nothing.  _Really_ ," Radar insisted, when Jesse gave him a look, "I-I swear, it's not important. Just, uh, rough night."

"'Rough night?'" Jesse repeated, frown deepening as he searched for any trace of tiredness on the kid's face, but it was a little hard to tell with his glasses, "What, have you been having nightmares? Loud neighbours?"

"Um," Radar's eyes darted to the side, "Yeah."

Jesse raised an eyebrow, "So... both?"

Radar, like he'd expected, reddened even further (the kid almost looked like he had sunburn, but Jesse was well aware of the giant bottle of sunscreen he kept on him all summer), "No, uh, just- just loud neighbours, is all."

"Maybe you can ask them to turn it down a bit," Jesse shrugged, free hand going to his hip, "And if they're rude or something..." he smiled, "Just come get me, alright?"

Radar smiled back, shuffling his feet; his hands were still tucked behind his back, almost as though he were hiding something, "Thanks, Jesse."

"No problem," finally, he retracted his hand, pulling up his shorts and grimacing when they clung to his sweaty skin, "It's  _way_ too hot today. I mean, summer's great and all, but the sun can just be mean sometimes."

That got a laugh, which made Jesse grin proudly. He caught the eye of John-Carl-It's-Too-Hot, who scowled impatiently, arms crossed. Jesse's grin fell and he sighed.

"Hey, is it alright if you get me a drink?" he asked, grabbing his wallet out from his back pocket and pulling out a note, "You can get one for yourself too."

"Oh!" Radar blinked, reaching out to take the note, "Sure-"

"What the  _hell?!_ "

Radar jumped at the exclamation, and a few heads turned, but Jesse didn't care. He grabbed Radar's wrist, stopping him from pulling away, gaping at his intern's forearm.

It was a mess, a tapestry of blacks, blues, purples and yellows. They bled into each, black in the centre and a sickly yellow around the edges, splattered like paint across tanned skin. One in particular near the elbow was in the unmistakable shape of fingers.

"Radar," Jesse gasped, unable to turn away from the gruesome sight, "What  _happened?_ "

"I'm sorry!" Radar blurted, and Jesse's eyes snapped up to his face in shock because  _what the hell was he sorry for?_ "I- I was late and-and I- I'm sorry!"

"Radar,  _what?_ " honestly, Jesse's brain was too shocked to think up anything else to say. Radar shook his head, trying- and failing- to tug his arm out of Jesse's grip, eyes glistening with tears, glasses starting to fog.

"I- I was-" Radar swallowed, cutting himself off and twisting a little so his side was facing Jesse, head turned away, "I was out later than usual last night and-and I... I kinda ran into a zombie."

"A zombie did this?" asked Jesse, frowning as he returned his attention back to the bruises. Radar nodded, almost hastily, still not looking at him.

"Y-Yeah, I just- it was just  _one_ zombie and-and it wasn't even that dark out and I was a- a little embarrassed, you know?"

"Zombie's have claws," Jesse stated, almost to himself; he felt rather than saw Radar tense, "Their bones grow, sharpen and jut out of their fingers. Same with their teeth, actually; they turn into fangs and are too big for their mouths. That's why newer zombies, ones with throats that actually work, still can't talk properly. Not that they'd even have the brains to."

He looked up from the bruises, realising that Radar had turned to face him again, eyes wide. Jesse frowned, cocking his head.

"If a zombie did this, you're really lucky it didn't scratch you," a bit reluctantly, he released Radar's arm, and his intern immediately drew it back- note still clutched in his fingers- and tucked it behind his back again, "And if it had scratched you, it would've become infected, no doubt. Only bites can make you turn, but their claws aren't exactly clean- we're talking about a walking corpse, after all. If this happens again, you come straight to me, understand? Whether or not it's just bruises."

"Yeah- Yes! Of course," Radar swallowed, taking a step back, "I'll... go get that drink now."

Before Jesse could think of an answer, Radar was gone, vanished into the crowd. He frowned at the spot Radar had been standing not a moment ago, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to one foot. If Radar really had been attacked by a zombie, and it had grabbed him the way those bruises indicated, then he should've been scratched. It was impossible for him  _not_ to have been scratched.

Unless there's some weirdo experimenting on zombies and trimming their claws or something, but Jesse doubted that was happening (again). Besides, what had Radar been doing outside the gates anyway? His intern was a city kid, you could tell just by looking at him; he didn't own a house out in the fields like Lukas did, and he certainly wasn't a farm kid.

A throat cleared behind him and Jesse jumped, turning to face a rather annoyed looking man- John-Carl-It's-Too-Hot, as Jesse had dubbed him. The man scowled, crossing his arms.

"Well?" he snapped, "Are we getting to it or not?"

"Oh, right," Jesse said, straightening to his full, incredibly short height (he barely reached this guys  _chin_ \- curse his height!), "Sorry about that. Where were we?"

John-Carl-It's-Too-Hot huffed, and began talking again, gesturing to the plot of land. Jesse glanced over his shoulder, making a mental note to question Radar further later that day.

However, he never got the chance. John-Carl-It's-Too-Hot kept him as long as sundown, and they hardly even got anything done, which meant they would have to do this  _again_. Radar had returned with their drinks, hoodie tied around his waist, before dashing off to do his own thing; Jesse noticed he carefully kept his arms tucked away almost the entire time, which probably restriced the kid greatly.

By the time Jesse was stumbling up the stairs to his bed, he was too exhausted to think straight, and had to peel his clothes from his skin. Sighing, he tossed them into the hamper, nose wrinkling at his own stink.

He needed a shower.

* * *

While Jesse hated to admit it, he'd all but forgotten about the bruises three weeks later. He'd been really busy, both with the new build John-Carl-It's-Too-Hot wanted (he still couldn't remember his name; maybe he should ask Radar) and other things that kept both him  _and_ Radar working a lot more than usual.

So Jesse, pumped full of caffein and with yet another cup in hand, had already thought up a few ideas as to why his intern was wearing sunglasses (indoors, no less) instead of his usual specs. It was also painfully obvious that they weren't those special sunglasses that had your perscreptions either, because he kept bumping into practically everything.

Maybe it was the caffein in his system and the lack of sleep he'd gotten the night before, but Jesse would be forced to admit that he found watching Radar stumble about like a dizzy blind guy with amnesia really, really,  _really_ funny.

His intern found the chair in front of his birch wood desk, which was directly opposite from Jesse's bigger, dark oak wood one. Smiling in silent victory, he made to sit down, but forgot to actually pull the chair  _out_ and ended up in a tangled mess of trapped limbs. An inkwell was knocked over, but was thankfully closed. Didn't stop the neat stack of blank papers from dropping to the floor, though.

Stiffling a snicker, Jesse sat his coffee on his desk and crossed the room towards Radar, although instead of helping him, he came to a stop in front of the desk, hands going to his hips and an amused smile on his lips. Radar didn't even seem to notice him, either too blind or too busy trying to unstick himself.

Finally, Jesse decided it was time to be merciful, "You okay there, buddy?"

Radar jumped, causing his chair to tilt sideways, which led to both him and said chair toppling to the ground with a loud yelp (from Radar, not the chair). Jesse realised he should probably,  _really_ get some sleep soon, because it took his brain a lot longer than usual to register that his intern was sprawled across the floor, groaning, and too blind to actually do any paperwork.

"Radar?" Jesse said, walking around the desk and raising an eyebrow at the kid, "You alright?"

"I- I'm fine, Jesse," Radar winced, pushing himself up and gratefully accepting Jesse's hand, who pulled him to his feet before moving to fix the chair. His intern adjusted his sunglasses. "It's just a little, uh, dark in here."

"I'm not sure if you've considered this," Jesse sat the chair back up onto its legs in front of the desk, sending Radar a pointed look, "But it might be because you're wearing sunglasses."

Radar laughed nervously, twisting the sleeves of his hoodie, "Yeah, that- that might be why."

"Where are your glasses?" asked Jesse, leaning against the chair, "It's probably going to be hard to help me with paperwork when you can't see."

"I can see," Radar insisted, almost defensively, "Just... not very well."

"Uh huh, right," Jesse said, unimpressed, "It's okay if you've broken them, you know."

Radar shrugged, shuffling his feet and turning his head away to look anywhere but at him. Jesse was reminded, abruptly, of that hot day when they'd first started planning the structure of the new public build- and how Radar had been unwilling to remove his hoodie due to the ugly bruises marking his forearms. He was acting now much like he had been acting then. Suspicion clawed its way through Jesse's muddled, tired brain to the front of his mind, standing to attention and pointing an accusing finger to the sunglasses.

Jesse frowned a little, "Hey, Radar, how are those bruises?"

His intern's head snapped up, cheeks paling a little, "Uh, what-what bruises? I don't have any bruises."

"The ones on your arms," Jesse explained, eyes narrowing when relief caused Radar's body to slump, "You know, you said you were attacked by a zombie? How are they doing? It might've been a slow build infection."

"They're fine," Radar assured, rubbing his arms. Seeming to realise what he was doing, he very visibly forced himself to stop. "All healed up now."

"Really?" Jesse asked. Radar nodded. "Hm. That's good, I guess."

"Yeah," Radar cleared his throat, running a nervous hand through his hair, "So- So should we get started on that paperwork or... ?"

Jesse stared at him for a long moment, wondering if he should call him out. He sighed. "Yeah, alright. Come on, then."

After helping Radar pick up the fallen papers, Jesse seated himself at his own desk- something he only ever did to do paperwork; he'd always sit  _on_ the desk or lean against it otherwise- and pulled out his own stack of papers, uncapping an inkwell, quill already in hand. He spotted Radar carefully sliding into his own chair, before blindly feeling around his desk for his things.

This was ridiculous.

Shaking his head, Jesse decided to let it be (for now) and turned to his work.

They worked for about fifteen minutes, when Jesse realised Radar's face was inches from his desk, he'd at some point spilt ink all over his hand and his brow was furrowed so low they were probably replacing his eyes behind those sunglasses.

"Radar," he called, causing the kid to jump, bang his knee on his desk and spill his inkwell for the second time (damn, this kid was jumpy), "I think you'll be able to see better if you take those sunglasses off. We're inside and it's cloudy out anyway."

"Oh, uh," Radar's ears burned red as he hastily picked up his inkwell, looking around his desk for something to clean up the dark mess it had made before it got all over anything important, "I- I'm fine, thanks."

Jesse stared, watching as his intern grabbed a few sheets of paper and placed them atop the spill to soak it up- only to realise it was actually a forum for the build John-Carl-It's-Too-Hot was supervising that Jesse had given him the day before, and start panicking as he picked it up and proceeded to try and dry it off with his own sleeves.

"Radar?" Jesse said over the kid's constant stream of apologies as he failed spectacularly at removing ink from paper with a sleeve of a hoodie, "Radar.  _Radar!_ "

Radar squeaked, head snapping up and useless scrubbing coming to a stop. Both his hands and sleeves were stained black, face flushed, inky fingers wringing nervously. Jesse sat down his quill and stood, his intern shrinking further into his seat as though hoping it would swallow him up as the hero drew closer.

Jesse halted beside the birch wood desk, glancing at the forums he'd spent all of last night writing out, before turning his attention to his fidgeting, ink covered, half-blind intern. He sighed.

"It's fine," he stated, "You can help me make new ones, okay?"

Hastily, Radar nodded, mouth shut firmly. Jesse frowned at him, hands sliding into his pockets.

"Did you get enough sleep last night?" he asked, "Those loud neighbours of yours aren't bothering you again, are they?"

"N-No," Radar swallowed, head bowing. He looked as though he wanted to grab something, if just to have something to do with his hands, but seemed reluctant to do so with them covered in drying ink.

Jesse's mouth twisted, "Alright. Go get cleaned up. Feel free to put your hoodie in the wash, too."

Radar was gone within moments, and Jesse was sure, if he'd had a tail, it would've been between his legs. Sighing, the Hero in Residence began to clean up the mess.

It took him a good twenty minutes to scrub the stains out of the wood, and even then there was still a faint trace of black. Radar returned, hoodie-less and still sporting those sunglasses, not long after. Jesse thought he'd somehow got ink all over his forearms, before he realised they were actually faded bruises.

"Wow," he muttered, frown returning, "Those look like they hurt."

Radar stared at him (probably blinked at him, but Jesse couldn't see that), before looking down at his forearms, reddening and then shrugging. He tucked them, almost self-consciously, behind his back. Jesse's frown deepened.

"What happened to your glasses, anyway?" he asked, rightening a stack of loose papers, "If you need new ones, I can-"

"No, no," Radar cut him off hastily, shaking his head, "I just, uh, thought it was a good... good day to wear... sunglasses," he winced, voice going to a quiet murmur, eyes darting to the side, "In... indoors..."

Jesse blinked, slowly, wondering his he'd heard right, "What?"

Radar's blush darkened, and he fidgeted, chin pressed against his chest. Something foreboding churned Jesse's stomach. At the back of his mind, he thought that maybe he should teach the kid to lie properly.

"Take them off," he muttered. Radar's head snapped upwards, eyes wide behind the shades, mouth popping open.

"B-But-"

"Take," Jesse stepped closer, so that he was standing directly in front of Radar; Jesse may have been short, but he was at least half a head taller than the kid (not for the first time, he thought of how Radar was almost the exact same height as he'd been at his age), "Them.  _Off_."

Radar flinched, and a flash of guilt constriced Jesse's breath, but he pushed it down. His intern shifted, rubbing the bruises on his forearms (there was some on his  _other_ arm too?), before almost seeming to steel himself. Taking in a shaking breath, the kid reached up, paused, then took off the sunglasses.

His left eye was swollen shut, purple, red and yellow and twice its usual size. Radar's right eye was red, brimmed with tears, and was fixed solely on his gaping bosses shoes.

Abruptly realising his mouth was wide open, Jesse snapped it shut, although his eyes remained the size of dinner plates. He forced his hands out of the fists they'd curled into, breathing deeply in an attempt to resist the urge to punch something (or someone).

He took a small step closer, faltering when Radar tensed and hunched further in on himself. Jesse paused, bit his lip, before gently taking his inter's chin in hand and tilting his head to get a better look at his eye, also forcing the kid to look at him in the process.

It was an ugly bruise, purple and swollen, and a recent one. Jesse estimated that it had happened sometime last night, maybe even just this morning; Radar hadn't had it yesterday, that was for sure.

"Who did this?" he asked, unable to keep the hiss out of his voice. Radar flinched violently, and Jesse struggled to calm himself. The kid was scared enough.

"N-N-No one!" Radar squeaked, leaning away a little but not enough to escape Jesse's gentle grip, as though he wanted nothing more than to runaway but terrified of what might happen if he did, "I- I just walked into a- a pole."

"Then why were you hiding it?"

Radar opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. Slowly, it closed, his good eye darting away so he didn't have to look at him.

"Radar," he said, forcing himself to be calm, gentle when all he really wanted to do was punch the prat that dared lay a hand on his kid, "Is someone bullying you?"

"Of course not!" Radar exclaimed, eye snapping back to him, "Wh-Why would someone bully me?"

Jesse could think up a  _lot_ of reasons someone would bully Radar, but decided (probably for the best) not to voice them. Besides, Radar was  _his_ intern- the famous Wither Slayer's little helper. Even if he'd been bullied before, who would even consider hurting him when Jesse was known for going to great lengths to protect those he considered under his care? (And he considered Radar to be under his care.)

And maybe he wasn't all that happy with the thought of there actually being bullies in Beacontown. He knew it was a likely prospect- not everyone was perfect, after all, and Beacontown was becoming a big place- but he liked to think that the free and colourful nature of the town would help diminish things like that. Crime in Beacontwon was, after all, one of the lowest in the world.

"So," he said, slowly, carefully, "You ran into a pole?"

Radar nodded. Jesse cocked his head.

"When?"

"Last night," the kid muttered.

Jesse gnawed on his lip, "Are your glasses even broken?"

Cheeks tinting pink, Radar shook his head. Jesse sighed.

"Alright. Get them on; please, just, stop hiding these things, okay? You're making me worry."

Radar's good eye widened at the declaration. Jesse turned and made his way back to his desk, watching as the kid snapped out of his shock and tugged his perfectly fine glasses out of his pocket, a flash of relief crossing his face when he put them on.

Shaking his head, Jesse sat down behind his desk, casting a glare at his unfinished paperwork. He ran a hand down his face, rubbing the bags beneath his eyes.

He needed more coffee.

* * *

By the time Jesse raised his head, eyes bleary and hand cramping, he was startled to find the sky outside his window was sprinkled with stars. He straightened, yawning and stretching, grunting quietly when his back cracked.

Dropping his arms back to his side, he spotted Radar at his own desk, face squished on a pile of paperwork and quill held loosely in limp fingers. His breathing was soft and even, eyes shut and glasses askew on his face.

Jesse's lips twitched at the sight, and he stood from his chair, shaking the numbness from his legs. Covering a yawn and glancing at the clock (Notch, it was already passed midnight), he started cleaning up his desk, reluctant to wake the sleeping intern across the room.

Finally, with his things tucked away in their usual places, Jesse made his way over to Radar, scrubbing at his itchy eyes. His hand hovered over the kid's shoulders, ready to shake him awake, but Jesse hadn't seen him this peaceful in a while- even with all the bruises.

Sighing, he dropped his hand back to his side and busied himself with screwing on the cap of Radar's inwell, before tugging the quill from his fingers and cleaning the tip, setting it aside. Jesse placed his hands on his hips, regarding his sleeping intern with a small smile. This hadn't been the first time he'd fallen asleep at his desk, but Jesse had always been able to wake him up and send him home before dark. He mentally chidded himself for losing track of time like that; Radar's parents were probably worried. Although, he realised suddenly, he hadn't actually met them.

Huh. He should probably change that, actually. It hadn't even crossed his mind before.

But that would have to wait. Because, right now, he had a teenager covered in bruises passed out in his office and didn't want to wake him up.

Jesse glanced out the window, to the night sky, then to the clock, then Radar, back to the window, then back to Radar. He sighed.

He was  _way_ too tired for this.

"Okay, buddy," Jesse muttered, bending down and beginning to manoeuvre Radar's face away from the desk, a bit of paper sticking to the side of the kids cheek, which he pulled off, "Time for bed."

Radar mumbled something unintelligable, burying his face into Jesse's neck when his head ended up on the hero's shoulder. Pushing the chair out a little and doing his best to not wake him, Jesse scoopped Radar up into his arms, one hand beneath his legs and the other around his back. His intern shifted, sighed, and didn't waken.

Releasing a small, relieved breath, Jesse pushed open his office door and closed it quietly with his foot. Adjusting his grip on Radar a little, he carried him down the hall and was halfway to the door when he came to a halt.

He had no idea where Radar lived.

Notch  _dammit._

Jesse closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He looked down at Radar, fast asleep. He still didn't want to wake him up, but the only other rooms were on the other side of the Hall (which were only ever occupied by his visiting friends or, rarely, someone from out of town here for business that had to stay for more than a day) and he couldn't just leave Radar on the floor.

He stood there for a moment, contemplating. Then, deciding he just wanted  _sleep_ , he shook his head, turned around and marched towards his own room, Radar still sleeping in his arms.

Jesse pushed open the door to his bedroom with his shoulder, nudging it shut behind him. He walked to his double bed, pulling back the pink blanket best he could with a teenager in his arms (some people thought it was weird for a boy to have a pink blanket, but Jesse didn't care; it was comforting to see pink when he woke up from nightmares).

He settled Radar down on the matress, pulling off his glasses and sitting them on the bedside table. His eyes were drawn to the ugly bruises along Radar's arms, to his blackened eye, and a monster rose its head with a vicious snarl.

It took Jesse's muddled brain to realise the snarl had come from  _him_. Radar shifted at the sound, a small crease to his brow, but soon settled once Jesse forced himself to stop. The hero breathed deeply, forcing his hands out of the firsts they'd, at some point, curled into. His nails left crescent marks on his palms.

_Calm down, Jesse._

Huffing quietly, Jesse tugged the pink blanket over his sleeping intern. Changing into some pajamas, he crawled into the other side of the bed, making sure he wasn't invading Radar's personal space. There was plenty of room, after all. He'd stick to one side and Radar could stick to the other; simple. Besides, it wasn't like anyone needed to  _know_ , right? People would probably think it was a bit weird for him to share his own bed with his teenage intern (hell,  _he_ thought it was weird).

But, hey.

He needed sleep.

* * *

He had not considered Radar being one to cuddle things in his sleep.

Or people. Or Jesse.

Jesse had actually been called a giant teddy bear, both before and after he and his friends became heroes- usually by said friends. Even more usually by Axel. Sometimes Petra. But mostly Axel.

Magnus just calls him short.

And that was exactly why, Jesse decided, that none of them could find out that his intern had decided he would make a splendid teddy bear sometime in the middle of the night.

Radar's head was rested on his chest, just above his heart, and he was clinging to him like a squid. He was also lying on top of Jesse's arm, which wasn't exactly pleasant.

He lay there, unsure what to do. His eyes darted to the clock mounted above the closet; half six. Jesse usually liked to get up at six so he'd have two hours to do his own thing before work, but it was Saturday, and he usually slept until at least seven on the weekends.

Radar shifted then, and Jesse's eyes darted back down to him. His intern blinked open crusty eyes, then squinted, raising a hand to rub at them, yawning. Then, again, Radar blinked, frowned, and looked up, locking eyes with Jesse.

They stared, frozen. Radar's eyes were wide with surprise, to the point where even his swollen one was opened a little, as though it were making sure what the other one was seeing was actually real. Jesse was seriously starting to wonder how he got into these types of situations.

"Uh... did you know you cuddle in your sleep?"

Radar blinked again. Then his face went completely red and he leapt away with a loud squeak, only to get tangled in the blankets and fall off the bend and onto the floor. Jesse sprung from the mattress, kneeling next to the trapped teen, and helped tug off the blanket.

"I- I am so, so,  _so_ sorry!" Radar squeaked, scrambling to his feet once he was free from his pink prison, "So very, very sorry! I- I don't even know how I- how did I- I'm so sorry!"

"Radar,  _stop_ ," Jesse said, getting to his own feet and raising his hands, "It's okay. We were working late last night and you fell asleep, and I, well, I didn't want to wake you. So I brought you here."

He scratched the back of his head, wincing a little. Radar stared at him for a long moment, face still red, before he glanced around the room, as though taking everything in, the best he can without his glasses. The picture of Jesse, Axel, Olivia, Lukas and Petra shortly after they became the new Order of the Stone, the orange pumpkin head in the corner that Jesse just couldn't bring himself to throw away, the bookshelf against the far wall, the picture of Jesse and Reuben on the beside table, besides Radar's glasses.

Spotting them, Jesse reached forwards and picked up the glasses, handing them to his intern. Radar took them gratefully, propping them on his nose, and swallowed.

"You brought me here?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jesse winced, again, "I wanted to take you home, but then I realised I didn't actually know where you lived and the guest rooms are on the other side of the Hall... so... sorry."

"It's fine!" Radar assured immediately, eyes widening at the prospect of making Jesse sorry about anything, "It's- It's completely fine! I-I was just... startled."

The blush, which had been fading, returned with a vengeance. Radar awkwardly cleared his throat, bowing his head to avoid Jesse's eyes. "U-Uh, um... s-sorry about... hugging you."

Jesse almost laughed, "Hugging me? Radar, you don't have to apologise for hugging me. Even if it was in your sleep."

Radar shifted, cheeks aflame. Then his head snapped up abruptly, his good eye wide and face going from beat red to pasty pale so fast Jesse almost thought he was about to throw up. The kid looked horrified- no, not horrified,  _terrified_.

"What time's it?" he asked. Jesse blinked at him, surprised, and it took him a moment to actually register the question.

"Er, half six. Why- ?"

"I was here all night?!" Radar squeaked, paling even more; then he was at the door, throwing a quick apology and a goodbye over his shoulder- and he was gone.

Jesse stood there, shocked by his intern's sudden departure, for a long moment. Then, realising that the kids parents were more than likely worried out of their minds, he winced. He should probably apologise to them. It  _had_ been his fault they were up so late, after all. He should've been more aware of the time.

Sighing, he threw the pink blanket back over the bed, decided he'd give an apology to Radar's parents in person as soon as possible (Monday, probably) and began to make his way towards the kitchen. He paused in the bedroom doorway, glancing over at the picture frame of him and his friends, before his eyes slid over to the one of him and Reuben. Smiling.

A painful pang hit him in the chest, sudden but in no way new ( _it's been seven years since he's seen that smile)_. Jesse forced his eyes away and left the room.

He needed a coffee.

* * *

Jesse didn't see Radar at all over the weekend, which wasn't entierly surprising. Unless they had scheduled business that  _had_ to be done over the weekend (which they rarely did), Jesse didn't really see him. Besides, weekends were usually when Jesse hang out with his friends, which, now that he thought about it, was actually becoming less and less often.

So he was incredibly happy as he and  _all four_ of his friends trudged through the jungle towards the temple they'd been tipped on a few months back. It was just like old times, and Jesse could tell they were enjoying themselves too. Petra seemed to have a permanent grin stitched onto her face.

It was with wide smiles and pockets full of treasure that they said goodbye that Sunday evening, and Jesse was greeted with enthusiasm upon his return. It had been the first adventure he'd been on in a while, with  _all_  of his friends no less, and he was in an incredibly good mood. He put away his armour and enchanted sword, before setting about either giving away his treasure (usually ingots and cakes) or keeping the more interesting items.

The next morning, Jesse decided on tea rather than coffee. He was leaning against his desk, flipping through the schedule book he kept in the office, thankful that he didn't have any more paperwork to do that day.

It wasn't until he looked at the clock that Jesse's good mood faltered, if only for a moment. He sat the book down and glanced around the office. He was the only one there.

Radar was late.

In the months he'd been his intern, Radar had never,  _ever_ been late, not even by a minute. If anything, he was always early, to the point where Jesse was starting believe it was impossible for the kid to even understand the  _concept_ of being late.

The black eye, the bruises along his forearms in the distinct shape of fingers, flashed across Jesse's mind. Jaw clenching, he viciously shook his head, forcing those thoughts out of his mind.

Radar was fine. Of  _course_ he was fine. It was just a few bruises; they wouldn't cause him to miss work.

Right?

Irritated with himself for a reason Jesse was unsure of, he pushed himself off his desk and began to make his way outside. He had things to do, and he was  _sure_ Radar would be showing up any moment now. Heck, maybe he'd run into him at the door.

However, Jesse didn't run into Radar at the door. In fact, he didn't run into Radar at all. His intern was absent all morning, and when lunch rolled around, Jesse felt too sick to eat. It got to the point that he couldn't focus on what people were saying to him, which led to  _them_ thinking there was something wrong with  _him_.

What irked Jesse most was that no one asked where Radar was.

Finally, when two rolled around to three and he still hadn't seen or heard from his missing intern, Jesse excused himself with as much politeness as he could from a conversation he hadn't even been paying attention to and began to make his way through town in search of the kid. He asked around, but more often than not he had to refer to Radar as  _his intern_ for people to actually realise who he was talking about, and even then no one had seen him.

By the time the sun was starting to set, and Jesse still had no clue as to where Radar was, he felt like he was about to throw up. He couldn't sit still and was becoming increasingly aggravated, had even snapped at a guy for having no idea who Radar was and asking why he was 'even interested in some skinny nerd in the first place' when he'd described him.

Jesse groaned, leaning against a wall in the Order Hall and scrubbing tiredly at his face. God, he was tired. And worried. And annoyed. He'd had so much fun during the weekend, too.

He hated Mondays.

Radar seemed to love them, though.

When he heard the footsteps running towards him, Jesse nearly banged his head against the wall. He turned, glaring, just as a dishevelled guy around his own age came barrelling through the doorway wearing scrubs.

The nurse- what was a nurse doing at the Hall?- froze, eyes widening when they locked with Jesse's. Annoyance flickered in the hero's gut.

"What is it?" he asked, just a  _little_ snappishly. The nurse jumped, cheeks tinted pink.

"There- You're needed at the hospital," he blurted, "Something about that intern of yours."

"Radar?" Jesse gasped, annoyance vanishing immediately. The nurse nodded, opening his mouth to continue, but Jesse was already dashing out the door.

He was a lot faster than he had been seven years ago, but never before had he ran as fast as he did then. Streets and builds and street lights blurred passed him, he jumped over blocks and, when greeted with a stall owner carting his supplies down a narrow street, leapt at a wall and ran across it, which just led to the stall owner dropping the handles of his wheel barrow and spilling his supplies across the street anyway.

Jesse burst through the hospital doors, eyes darting around the empty waiting room. The nurse at the counter's head snapped up at his sudden entrance, quill falling form her fingers upon realising who he was

"I'm looking for Radar," he declared, stalking up to the desk in a few quick strides and looking expectantly and a bit impatiently at the gaping woman, "You know, skinny kid, glasses? A nurse came to the Hall and told me he was here."

The nurse's mouth opened, then closed. Finally, she croaked, "You're Jesse."

"Oh, yes, I had no idea," Jesse snapped, really,  _really_ irritated now, "Is Radar here?"

The nurse blinked slowly, as though her brain was struggling to process everything he was saying, "Radar?"

"Yes, Radar!" Jesse exclaimed, causing the woman to jump, "My intern! Is he here or not?"

"Oh, uh," she hastily turned to a small pile of papers next to her, licking her finger and flicking through them, "Yes, he's- he's in room twelve- hey, wait!"

Jesse ignored her, jogging down the connecting hall. He had just reached the door with the number twelve on it when said door opened, and a woman in a doctors coat came out, pausing in the doorway and blinking in surprise at him.

There was a flash of recognition, before the doctor stepped into the hall and closed the door behind her, clipboard tucked against her chest, "Hello, Jesse. I'm Doctor Mari."

She offered her hand, which Jesse took almost automatically.

"Where's Radar?" he asked. Dr Mari chewed on her bottom lip for a split second, releasing his hand, before sighing.

"Just through the door. But," she held up a hand to stop Jesse from opening the door; huffing, he dropped his arm back to his side, "I want to speak with you first."

"About what?" he asked- well, more of grumbled, really. He just wanted to make sure his kid was okay.

"What do you know about Radar's homelife?"

Jesse blinked. That was not what he'd been expecting.

"Not much," he admitted, "I've been meaning to ask him about that, actually."

"Why?"

"Uh, well," he shrugged, a tad sheepishly, "I haven't exactly met his parents, and I thought they'd probably like to have a conversation with his boss or something. Besides, I kept him late last Friday and I've been meaning to apologise to them for that."

Dr Mari nodded, "So you've never met any of his family?"

"No," that foreboding feeling from last Friday was back again, "Why?"

The doctor glanced at the door, then sighed, "A woman found Radar sitting outside her house an hour after the sun set and brought him here. Do you have any idea of his whereabouts these past few days?"

Dread curled in Jesse's chest, a bitter taste on his tongue. It took all his effort to answer. "No. He didn't show up for work today. And I haven't seen him all weekend."

"So the last time you saw him was on Friday?" Dr Mari asked. Jesse nodded. "Okay. Thank you. You can go in and see him now, just... don't do anything drastic, okay?"

He sent her a sceptical look, "Drastic how?"

Dr Mari shrugged, "I dunno. Yelling at him?" she paused, "What am I saying, of course you're not going to yell at him, you hugged the little kid that robbed you last Christmas," Jesse was faintly surprised that she remembered that, "Just don't freak out."

With that, she was gone, pen in hand and clipboard in front of her. Jesse stared after her for a moment, before turning to the door and resting his hand on the handle, when he froze.

Why was  _he_ called here and not Radar's family?

Abruptly, Jesse's mouth was void of spit. He was frozen, goosebumps popping up on his skin, despite it being a rather warm night.

_Do you know anything about Radar's homelife?_

Jesse closed his eyes, breathing deeply. No. No, he would've noticed. How could he  _not_ have noticed?

Bruises. Black eye. In the shape of fingers.

Needing to see for himself, needing to see his kid, needing to see his concerned family sitting around him and needing them to throw away his ridiculous thoughts, Jesse shouldered open the door with a bit more force than necessary, a bit quicker than usual- and he froze again.

Radar sat on the examination table, hands clasped in his lap, alone. He wasn't wearing his hoodie- had forgotten to grab it from the washing Saturday morning- and the half faded bruises on his forearms were vibrant against the whiteness of the room. One of his eyes were still swollen shut, had hardly even started to heal, but that was not what had made Jesse freeze.

The bruises were fresh, already splotted with sickly yellows and gruesome purples, still red in some places and shaped unmistakably like fingers; as though someone had decided to fingerpaint all over his intern's neck.

"Jesse?" Radar said, but his voice was mangled, hoarse, as though he'd screamed himself raw, "What're you-"

All of a sudden, Jesse was standing in front of him, and Radar jumped in surprise. Jesse gripped his intern's jaw gently, titling his head to get a better look at the mess that was his neck. Radar's breathing hitched, shoulders tensing and hands curling into trembling fists.

"Radar," Jesse breathed, "What the  _hell?_ "

His intern made an odd noise that sounded almost like a whimper. He released him almost immediately, backing away a little to give him space, forcing his eyes away from the bruises to look Radar in his one, tear-filled eye. The kid swallowed thickly, bowing his head so he wasn't looking at him; he looked like he was about to cry.

Jesse swallowed, blinking back his own tears, and forced back the vicious monster that was trying to claw its way to the surface. He glanced around the room, gathering himself, before taking a deep breath and turning back to Radar.

"Hey, buddy," he said, gently, taking a small step closer and ducking slightly to catch his interns eye, "Hey, it's okay. You're okay."

Radar's breathing hitched, catching on a swallowed sob, and tears began to flow from his eyes. It was terrible with his black eye, the tears struggling to escape, and just made the swollen skin wet and shiny.

Jesse wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. Radar buried his face into his shoulder, sobbing, and Jesse murmured comforting nonsense into his ear, holding him tightly. Almost afraid to let go.

He held Radar until his cries died down to quiet sniffles, and even then didn't pull away. Eventually, it was Radar that did so, face red and cheeks streaked with dried tears. He sniffed, wiping his nose, "Th-Thanks, Jesse."

Jesse's heart clenched, uncaring of how his shirt was now damp, "You don't have to thank me."

Radar didn't answer, instead taking to trying to scrub the streaks from his face. Or at least the side that wasn't swollen.

Jesse glanced at the door, wondering when the doctor was coming back. He looked back at Radar, to the black eye, the mangled neck, the purple forearms, and had to push down the monster all over again. Now was not the time.

Not yet.

"Radar, buddy," he said, being incredibly careful to keep his voice soft, "Who- Who  _did_ this to you?"

"It's nothing," Radar blurted, a panic entering his eyes, "Really, it's just-"

"Radar," Jesse cut him off, "Please. Tell me the truth."

The kid slumped, as though all of the energy had been drained from his body. He closed his eye and sighed, and when he opened it again, it was shiny again, but he didn't shed his tears. His glasses were fogged and streaked from them, and were probably difficult to see through.

"I don't live in Beacontown," he declared, and Jesse blinked, taken aback, "I- I didn't want you to know because I was afraid you wouldn't want me as your intern anymore."

"Oh... kay," Jesse said, slowly, taking a moment to process this sudden information; it was not something he'd been expecting, to say the least, "Where do you live, then?"

Radar wouldn't look at him again. He mumbled something, too low for Jesse to catch.

"Could you repeat that, buddy?" he asked, "I promise I won't be mad. I'm not going to fire you just because you live somewhere else."

His intern glanced at him, something that could very well be doubt crossing his face. He sighed. "Champion City. I live in Champion City with my mother."

"Oh, yeah, I've heard of that place," Jesse said, recalling spotting said city in the distance when he and his friends were returning from their adventure yesterday, "So you walk from Champion City to Beacontown and back again every day?"

Silently, Radar nodded. Jesse leant back a little, frowning as he processed this.

"Good thing I didn't try to send you home on Friday night, then," he muttered, more to himself than Radar. He looked back up at the kid. "What does this have to do with your bruises?"

Radar stared at him for a moment, as though he were missing something incredibly obvious. After a moment, he gave a small shrug and looked away. "Champion City is very... strict. My mother loves it. And she doesn't exactly...  _love_ Beacontown."

"She doesn't know you're my intern?" Jesse asked, blinking. Who wouldn't love Beacontown?

"She does now," Radar muttered, and Jesse's eyes widened. Spotting this, his intern hastily continued. "She- She doesn't hit me often or-or anything like that, just-just doesn't like that I look up to the Order so much, and thinks I should- you know, help out around Champion City more and-and maybe get some friends and all that."

Radar's eyes darted away again, and he coughed a little, although he seemed to regret it immediately. Grabbing a glass of water from beside him (how hadn't he noticed that?), his intern gulped it down greedily. Jesse took the glass from him when he was done and went to refill it in the sink.

"When- When I didn't come home on Friday," Radar continued, twisting his hands, "She thought I was doing something... bad. She was convinced I was sneaking out and hanging about Beacontowners, which is," he winced, "Actually true, but she didn't know I was just doing paperwork. That's when I told her I was, well, your intern and she... snapped."

Jesse sat the glass down beside Radar, only just realising that his hands were beginning to tremble. He leant against the examination table, shoving his hands into his pockets, gnawing on his lip. Radar was staring at his hands, once more clasped in his lap.

"She found out you were my intern," he said, slowly, as though clarifying, "And decided... to strangle you."

"She's sick," Radar blurted, head snapped around to lock desperate eyes with Jesse, "She- She hasn't  _always_ been like this, but ever since mam was killed by the Witherstorm when I was little-"

Jesse's eyes widened as Radar cut off. The kid bowed his head again. "It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. You  _stopped_ it," his voice lowered to a whisper, "But she... she doesn't see it like that."

A silence came upon the hospital room. Jesse swallowed thickly, heart a rock that fell to his stomach, turning sad eyes to the opposite wall. "I'm sorry."

"It was seven years ago," Radar whispered, "I never blamed you."

Everything was quiet for a long moment. Jesse glanced out the window, to the lights of Beacontown. Slowly, he returned his gaze to the opposite wall. There was a doctors certificate mounted there.

"How often does she hit you?"

"Not often," Radar muttered, "She's been off her medication lately, though. She's been using the money they give us to gamble. That's how I got the bruises on my arm. I'd... I'd tried to stop her."

Jesse turned to look at him again, chest constricting. He licked his dry lips, taking a deep breath.

_Push the monster down._

"And the black eye?"

Radar shrugged, "She found my Order poster. I didn't expect her to go into my room; she hasn't gone in there for a long time."

_Push the monster down, push the monster down._

"Okay," Jesse muttered, struggling to keep the snarl out of his voice, "That's just... wrong. That's all wrong."

Radar didn't say anything. He picked up his glass of water, but didn't drink it. Just stared.

The door opened then, Jesse and Radar's head swirling to face it. Dr Mari stood in the frame, clipboard clutched to her chest. She smiled kindly at them, softly closing the door behind her.

"Hey, Radar," she greeted, "How's that throat?"

Radar shrugged, "It's, uh, it's fine, ma'am."

"That's good," Dr Mari turned her attention to Jesse, "If it's alright, I'd like to speak with you privately for a moment."

Jesse glanced at Radar, who shrunk in on himself and looked away. He frowned, reluctant, but sighed, "Okay. I'll be  _right_ outside, alright, Radar? Just call if you need me."

Radar gave him a small little smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Alright, Jesse."

Jesse nodded, before following Dr Mari out the door. Out the corner of his eye, he watched as the obviously forced smile fell from his intern's face, just before the door closed.

"I've contacted Child Protection Services," Dr Mari declared, "As per protocol. They should be here soon and then we'll probably discuss foster homes-"

"Foster home?" Jesse blurted, eyes widening, "You can't send Radar to a foster home."

"We don't have much choice," Dr Mari said. Her eyes glinted. "We can't send Radar back to his mother, not now at least-"

"You can't send him to live with strangers either!"

"Who said he had to live with strangers?"

The comment made Jesse pause. Dr Mari smiled brightly.

The hero's eyes darted to the window of the door, where he spotted Radar watching them from the examination table. The kid reddened and quickly looked away, wringing his hands in his lap. Jesse looked back at the smiling doctor.

"Would that work?"

"You're  _Jesse_ ," Dr Mari pointed out, "Of course it would work."

"He's from Champion City," Jesse said, frowning, "Won't that complicate things? I've never heard of someone being fostered in a different city."

"It depends on the size of the city," Dr Mari explained, "And how bad they want to keep the child away from their previous guardian. It might be difficult, but these things always are."

"Okay," said Jesse; took a deep breath; released it slowly, "Is there a way we can keep this quiet? At least for now."

"Of course," Dr Mari assured, "The CPS will understand, and I'm sure the leader of Champion City will too. You fostering a kid- your abused intern no less- would cause a lot of... commotion. If it has to be taken to court, there's always the option of a private jury."

"Court?" Jesse echoed, frown returning, "Is that likely?"

"Depends," Dr Mari sighed, "His mother might fight against the charges, might even try to keep him in her custody. There's a small chance Radar will have to go in as well and give a statement."

"We can't do that," Jesse said, immediately, "There's no way I can put him in that position."

"That's why I hope to avoid it," Dr Mari said, "Among other reasons. But we'll have to wait and see. CPS will want to take pictures, too."

Jesse sighed, raising a hand to rub at his temples. This was happening far too fast. "Okay. Okay, okay, okay. So I  _will_ be able to get him in my custody?"

"You're young," Dr Mari shrugged, "But you're also the world's biggest hero. The leader of the Order of the Stone. If anyone can get custody of this kid quickly, it's you."

Jesse nodded, taking a moment to let it sink in. When he'd decided to make Radar his personal intern all those months ago, he had not expected  _this_  to happen. Not in a million years.

_Push down the monster, push down the monster._

"When will CPS get here?" he asked. Mari pulled out a watch.

"Tomorrow morning, at the earliest."

"Okay," Jesse breathed. He looked through the door window again, at Radar. Poor kid looked exhausted, like he was about to pass out at any second. "Can I take him home?"

Dr Mari seemed to contemplate that for a minute, before she eventually nodded, much to the hero's relief, "Yes, but you have to bring him back first thing tomorrow. Don't be late."

"Of course not," Jesse assured, "Thank you, doc."

Dr Mari smiled, eyes glinting sadly, "It's never a problem."

Jesse pushed open the door and slid back into the room. Radar's head snapped up as soon as he entered, and he gave the kid a small smile, moving to stand in front of him. He was glad Radar was still sitting on the table, because it made them the same height.

"Okay, buddy," he said, "You're gonna come stay with me for tonight, yeah?"

"With you?" Radar blinked, looking startled, "I thought I was staying here."

"Why stay here when my house is ten minutes away?" Jesse asked, "Besides, you can have a guest room this time."

"Oh," Radar looked down, "Okay."

Jesse paused, then tilted his head to the side, "Unless... you'd rather stay in my room again?"

Radar's cheeks dusted pink, "I-I don't mind."

Jesse smiled, huffing a small laugh; neither did he, "Alright, then," he wrapped an arm around Radar's shoulders, guiding him off the table, "Let's go."

They said goodbye to Dr Mari, who gave them an ointment for Radar's bruises, before walking to the Hall. It was much later now, and there was no one out besides them and a few returning monster hunters.

They didn't speak much during the ten minute walk, although Jesse didn't remove his arm from around his intern's shoulders. The bright lights of the Order Hall almost burnt his eyes out, a sudden change from the semi-darkness of the streets.

He led Radar up to his room, where he lent him some pyjamas that didn't really fit him and helped put the ointment on his bruises. Jesse pulled the pink blanket over the kid, almost like a recreation of the previous Friday night, except this time there was even more bruises and said kid was still awake.

"Jesse?" Radar said, so quiet he almost didn't hear, "I-I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that," Jesse chided gently, sliding his intern's glasses off his face and setting them on the bedside table, beside the picture of him and Reuben, "You've got nothing to be sorry for."

Radar didn't look convinced, but he said nothing more on it. Jesse ran his fingers through his kid's hair, giving him a small smile.

"Night, Radar. I'll come back up soon, I just have to do some things first."

"Okay," Radar murmured, eyes already drooping, "G'night, Jesse."

Jesse stood, glancing back at Radar from the doorway. He sighed, closed the door behind him, and began to make his way back down the hall.

He needed a lawyer.


End file.
